Three held with ₹83,000 in counterfeit notes, car with fake number plate used to evade police

Ahmedabad Police on Friday arrested three youths after allegedly recovering ₹83,000 in counterfeit ₹500 notes, multiple mobile phones, cash and a Santro car fitted with a fake registration plate. The arrests were made following a late-night patrol by the Satellite Police Station, while a fourth accused, said to be the source of the counterfeit notes, remains at large.

A  team was patrolling near ISKCON crossroads around 11 pm on Friday when they received a tip-off that occupants of a silver Santro were travelling towards Shivranjini crossroads with counterfeit currency.

Acting on the information, the police set up surveillance and intercepted a silver Santro shortly afterwards. Three persons were found inside: Devansh Melabhai Patel (24), Vaibhav Mahendrabhai Patel (24), and Sachin Kumar Amarendra Kumar (23).

A search in the presence of panch witnesses resulted in the recovery of 166 counterfeit ₹500 notes, several with identical serial numbers, along with genuine currency notes and multiple mobile phones. Officers noted that the serial number patterns on several seized notes were repeated, indicating that they were fake.

Police also seized the Hyundai Santro bearing a false number plate (GJ16AA1359) mounted over its original registration number (GJ16CH7972). The accused allegedly used the fake number plate to avoid police detection.

Later, forensic expert R B Majmudar examined the seized notes at the Satellite Police Station and confirmed that they were counterfeit based on security features prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India.

Items seized include:

- Counterfeit ₹500 notes worth ₹83,000

- ₹3.45 lakh in genuine currency from the accused collectively

- Five mobile phones worth around ₹80,000

- A Hyundai Santro car valued at ₹50,000

- Two fake number plates

- An Aadhaar card 

A total of 166 counterfeit ₹500 notes were seized from the trio 

During questioning, the accused allegedly told police that the counterfeit notes were supplied by Abhishek Chaurav, a Kolkata resident, who is currently on the run. The trio also claimed they had used fake notes to purchase a mobile phone via OLX by mixing the counterfeits with genuine currency.

Police said the group had conspired to circulate counterfeit currency and deceive sellers through online classifieds. Accused Devansh, Vaibhav and Sachin were arrested on the spot, while efforts are underway to trace the fourth accused. The FIR has been registered under Sections of the BNS, relating to the use, possession and circulation of counterfeit currency, forgery, and conspiracy. Further investigation is on.